Revised: Fall 2010

MATH 1301 STUDENT SYLLABUS

Course:   MATH 1301 (College Algebra)
[3-3-0]

Prerequisite:   A grade of “C” or
better in MATH 1300 or placement by exam taken at UH-Downtown, or a score of
270 on the math section of THEA. If you do not meet this prerequisite, you may be dropped from
the course without prior notification at your own expense. Please see your
instructor immediately if you do not meet this prerequisite, so you can be
enrolled in the appropriate MATH course.

Textbook:  Essentials
of College Algebra with Modeling and Visualization, Third Edition, by G.
Rockswold, Addison Wesley, Boston,
MA, 2008. Alternate: College Algebra
with Modeling and Visualization, Third Edition, by G. Rockswold, Addison
Wesley, Boston, MA, 2006.

Where to Find Course Resources:  The first place to seek assistance and
resources is from your instructor, both inside and outside of class. Your
instructor will provide the times and locations where he or she is available
for office hours to work with you outside of class. Next, students
enrolled in MATH 1301 at UHD have access to the Math Lab in the Academic Support Center
(925-N) where they may get additional tutoring with understanding concepts or
improving their skills. The Center is staffed with mathematics faculty and
student assistants, and offers tutorial help, videos, calculators, and computer
access on a walk-in basis. The Math Lab maintains extensive hours which are
published each semester. You are encouraged to visit the Math Lab throughout
the semester whenever you feel you need extra help, no appointment required.
It is also an excellent place to study the textbook and work on homework
problems, so that you can receive immediate answers to your questions as
necessary. The CD that comes with text also contains video instruction
corresponding to examples in the text as well as practice quizzes. A copy of
this CD is available in the Math Lab for use in the lab or for check out.

Educational objectives: At the end of
the course, a student should be able to, at minimum: (1) write complex numbers
in standard form and perform the four elementary operations with complex
numbers; (2) solve quadratic equations in one variable by the methods of
factoring, extraction of roots, completing the square, and the Quadratic
Formula; (3) properly use function notation and inverse function notation and
interpret its meaning in context; (4) recognize the equation of a straight line
and determine the equation of a line from information such as: given two points
on the line, or, one point on the line and the slope of the line; (5) state and
apply the definition of a function, determine the domain and range of a
function, evaluate expressions involving functional notation, simplify
expressions involving the algebra of functions, and given a function find its
inverse, if it exists; (6) solve problems involving direct and inverse
variation; (7) graph linear functions and quadratic functions by hand; (8)
recognize the important features of graphs of polynomial functions and
piecewise-defined functions; (9) find the vertex and intercepts of a parabola;
(10) state the fundamental properties of polynomial functions; (11) solve quadratic
inequalities, state the solution using interval notation and graph the
solution; (12) state the inverse relationship between exponential and
logarithmic functions, graph both types, use properties of logarithms to
rewrite expressions, and solve exponential and logarithmic equations; (13)
solve absolute value equations and inequalities; (14) solve systems of
equations in three variables by algebraic techniques; (15) state and use the
relationship between the slopes of parallel and perpendicular lines; (16)
interpret the meaning of the slope of a line in context; (17) interpret the meaning of function intercepts
in context; (18) compute midpoints and apply the Midpoint Formula to
interpolate and extrapolate.

Department Grading Policy:  The final exam for this course is
comprehensive and counts 1/3 of your course average. Your instructor will
provide complete information as to how your course average will be computed.
Your final course average will be used to assign your final course grade
according to the standard college formula shown here.

90-100

“A”

80-89

“B”

70-79

“C”

60-69

“D”

0-59

“F”

The following case is an exception:

If
your final exam score is less than 50, you will receive an “F”
for the course regardless of your average.

Please
be aware of the last day to withdraw with a course grade of “W.”
This date is published in the semester class schedule. If you do not complete
the course requirements and do not officially withdraw, you will receive a
course grade of “F.” This is university policy over which your
instructor has no control. You cannot receive the grade “I” for Incomplete
unless you have a documented personal emergency that prevents you from
completing the last fraction of the course, such as the last test and/or the
final exam. You must have a passing average based on the work you have already
completed to receive an “I.”

Calculator Policy:  Each student is expected to purchase or
otherwise have access to a scientific calculator throughout the semester
and will be allowed to use a scientific calculator on the final exam. A
scientific calculator is one that includes “ln” and
“log” keys. Your instructor may require a graphing
calculator. If so, he or she will provide information regarding this
requirement .

Excess
Course Attempts:  In accordance
with state law, effective Fall 2004 the University of Houston-Downtown
is charging an additional fee per semester credit hour for any course that is
repeated for the third time, beginning with the Fall 2002 semester. If a course
has been previously attempted twice, the third enrollment will result in the
additional charge.  An attempt is
defined as an enrollment that results in any letter grade (including
“F” and “W”).

General University Policies: All
students are subject to UH-Downtown’s Academic Honesty Policy and to all
other university-wide policies and procedures as they are set forth in the UH-Downtown
University Catalog and Student Handbook.

Statement
on Reasonable Accommodations:
UHD adheres to all applicable federal, state, and local laws,
regulations, and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations
for students with disabilities. Students with disabilities should register with
Disabled Student Services (409-S) and contact the instructor in a timely manner
to arrange for appropriate accommodations.

Using
MyMathLab:
To supplement what is done in class, your instructor may require an online
resource called MyMathLab. In order to use MyMathLab, you must purchase a
Student Access Code from the UHD Bookstore (bundled with the text or
separately) or purchase it online at www.coursecompass.com  If you purchased a MyMathLab code for
MATH 1301 last semester (i.e. you are repeating the class), you DO NOT need to
purchase a new code this semester. Your account will still be active, but you
will need to enroll in a new section. You can use MyMathLab on any computer
that has Internet access. If you do not have a computer at home with Internet
access, you can log into MyMathLab from a UHD computer, print out the MyMathLab
assignment, work through the exercises on paper, and then enter the answers in
MyMathLab when you are next on campus. To register with MyMathLab, you will
also need a valid email address - use one that you regularly check. You must
register with MyMathLab at  www.coursecompass.com  only the first time that you use it. (1)
The course ID number will be given to you. (2) The zip code for UHD is 77002.
(3) You will then create a Login Name and Password which you will use to log in
whenever you use MyMathLab at  www.coursecompass.com  Make sure to record your exact login
name and password for future logins. Note:
The computers in the Math Lab (N-925), the Academic Computing Labs (S-800,
C-300, B-200), the CMS Lab (S-738), and the SI Lab (S-405) can be used to access
MyMathLab. Some of the features you can access are:

• Complete and submit homework
assignments online (if required);

• Check out your MyMathLab
homework grades and other course grades in the Gradebook;

• View a complete online version
of the textbook and look at multimedia sources such as online video clips that
accompany the textbook, and much more.

Be sure to
register with MyMathLab during the first week of the semester, so you can begin
to use it right away. Also, you can use your MyMathLab Login Name and
Password to access the UHD Math Portal at http://www.pearsoncustom.com/tx/uhd_math
to find additional helpful student resources such as a Video Tutor and Student
Solutions Manual.

See
your instructor for more information regarding MyMathLab and the UHD Math
Portal.

Course Content:  The course covers the following sections
of the textbook. In some cases, not all pages from a section are covered.

Chapters

Sections

Chapter
1

1.1
Numbers, Data, and Problem Solving

1.2
Visualization of Data

1.3
Functions and Their Representations

1.4
Types of Functions and Their Rates of change

Chapter
2

2.1
Linear Functions and Models

2.2
Equations of Lines

2.3
Linear Equations

2.4
Linear Inequalities

2.5
Piecewise-Defined Functions

Chapter
3

3.1
Quadratic Functions and Models

3.2
Quadratic Equations and Problem Solving

3.3
Quadratic Inequalities

Chapter
4

4.1
Nonlinear Functions and Their Graphs

4.2
Polynomial Functions and Models

4.4
The Fundamental Theorem of Algebra

4.5
Rational Functions and Models

Chapter
5

5.1
Combining Functions

5.2
Inverse Functions and Their Representations

5.3
Exponential Functions and Models

5.4
Logarithmic Functions and Models

5.5
Properties of Logarithms

5.6
Exponential and Logarithmic Equations

Chapter
6

6.3
Systems of Linear Equations in Three Variables

Tips for Becoming a
Successful College Student:

Come
to class.

Read
your book.

Do
your homework.

Listen
and ask questions.

Contribute
to classroom discussions.

Use
any tutoring resources that are available.

Interact
with your teachers, either face to face or using the phone or email.

Form
study groups with your classmates.

Meet
with your advisor.

Get
involved in campus activities.

Share
new ideas with your friends and family.

VISIT THE UHD ALGEBRA
STUDENT WEB PAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION:

http://cms.uhd.edu/qep/algebra